The Search For Perfection: Part One
by shieldmaiden333
Summary: Of All the things Eragon expected of life this was not one of them. What kind of magic was this? Waking up with silver hair and golden eyes was never on his list of things to do. And where did that strange living fur come from? T for possible future violence. No pairings. Ignores Book 4 of the Inheritance Cycle.
1. Chapter 1

The Search For Perfection

Chapter One

When Eragon woke in the morning his first thought was that he had never seen hair of such color or quality and only rarely had he seen it so long. How it had gotten to be on his pillow he didn't know nor did it occur to him to ask such a question so early in the morning.

Eragon reached out a hand to run through the hair on his pillow, wondering if he was perhaps still dreaming, only to stop at the sight of his hand. Long pale fingers ended in sharp claws, placed on strong hands. The wrist was slender and pierced horizontally with maroon stripes which tapered to a point each looking almost like a pike.

Eragon tried flexing his fingers just to see if those fingers were his own, if that hand was his. It seemed it was.

Back to the silver hair. He reached out again, this time he ran his fingers through that silver hair. Eragon had once felt silk, one year when the traders were in Carvahall, one of the fabric merchants had a single yard of it, and he had never felt anything quite like it. The hair he was now running his hands through made that silk seem like coarse sack cloth. This hair was soft and smooth, it was light and there was not a single knot or tangle he could find. Eragon had the sneaking suspicion that this was his hair and it had somehow changed, just like his hand.

How this had happened Eragon didn't know. Magic was a likely suspect but there were so few who could use it, and why would they use it like this on him? He was just a poor farm boy.

But still, he knew he wouldn't find the answers laying in bed.

Just then there was an impatient knock at the door.

"Eragon, are you up yet?" Garrow, Eragon's Uncle, called through the door.

"Coming Uncle!" Eragon called, sitting up and then he stilled. Was that his voice? It was deep and resonant, a smooth baritone that was somehow both soft and firm.

"Eragon?" Garrow asked again, as he pushed open the door.

Eragon himself had frozen at the sound of his own voice as it suddenly crashed down on him that this was not some strange dream he would soon wake from. He shivered. His entire body felt different.

"Uncle what's happening?" Eragon asked, uncertainty in his voice and on his face as he looked up to see Garrow just inside his doorway. He felt a headache rush up to greet him and then everything went black.

* * *

Authors Note

Hello Readers! I'm so happy to finally be posting a story. I would love any comments and/or advice and I hope it came across clearly that Eragon is half asleep up to the point where he hears his own voice. I didn't know how to make it any clearer. :(

Thank You to any future reviewers, I'll try to get back to you soon!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

'Whose turn is it to make breakfast?' was Eragon's first coherent thought, as he woke reaching up a hand to rub at his eyes.

"Waking up, are we?" Gertrude questioned from her place by the hearth.

"Gertrude! Why... how long have I been out?" Had Eragon been more awake he may have noticed he still had that strange new voice. As it was he did have the presence of mind to notice his surroundings. He was in Gertrude's home. Eragon was on a bed pressed up next to a wall and across from him was a door. There was a fire place on the wall to his left and the wall to his right was fixed with shelves filled with an assortment of things he didn't care to notice and all around were dried herbs that hung from the walls. There was a table with a few scattered belongings on it. Gertrude, Carvahalls' healer was sitting in a rocking chair a mortar and pestle in her hands that she placed beside her on the floor before answering.

"A day and a half. Garrow and Roran brought you to me yesterday. They're having lunch with Horst, Him being the only one who could pry Garrow away from you." Gertrude said giving Eragon a pointed look.

"Has anything strange happened to you lately? Have you met any strangers?" Gertrude voice was slightly hesitant, but filled with concern and a kind sort of curiosity.

Eragon sighed and silently shook his head.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." Eragon said simply, then thought for a moment. "I had a headache before bed and the regular work tired me more than usual."

"You were probably beginning to change." Gertrude mused. "You've gained quite a bit of lean muscle, and you're taller now." Gertrude hesitated Garrow said you were awake for a time before you lost consciousness he wasn't sure how long, but, Eragon, you aren't human anymore. So far as I can tell."

"I gathered as much." Eragon said resigned. It once more had not really had the time to process in Eragon mind and he was trying to ignore it. Trying being the operative word in that sentence. It took him six-tenths of a second to realize that ignoring the issue would not help the problem and begin adjusting to it, and three-tenths of a second to realize he knew exactly how long it took him to do all this during which he became unconsciously used to the idea that he was no longer human and might never be again.

Eragon groaned, he didn't need this now. He had been planning to go on a hunting trip in a few days, now tomorrow, and after that the last of their harvest would be coming in soon. He didn't have _time_ for this.

"Eragon are you all right?" Gertrude asked her brow furrowing. "Do you have another headache?"

"No, I'm just frustrated." Eragon huffed. "I'm sorry, Gertrude. I am alright now, so far as I can tell, so may I go see Garrow and Roran now?"

"Yes," Gertrude smiled. Eragon was always so polite, "But I'm going with you. I'd like to keep an eye on you for as long as I can and take that cloak. To many people in this town are to superstitious for their own good."

"And we'll just have to hope the Empire doesn't notice." Eragon truly hoped they wouldn't notice.

Gertrude had no real reply to that.

"Elain sent Albriech with some clothes for you since yours' are to small now, they're on the mantelpiece." Gertrude continued, then stood and left the room.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Given the it was late afternoon Eragon and Gertrude didn't meet many people on their way to Horst's home. Those that they did meet were in such a hurry to get home that they did little more than call a greeting to Gertrude and send the cloaked, hooded and overall unrecognizable Eragon puzzled glances.

It was as they were climbing the hill to Horst's home that they first properly met anyone.

"Eragon?" Roran queried as he stepped outside. "Is that you?"

"No, it's the king of the faeries. Of course it's me!" Eragon said exasperated.

"Well it's not as if you seem different in any," Roran replied sarcastically. "You're only a good foot taller, with a different voice and wearing a cloak." At this point they had drawn level and Roran grabbed Eragon in that tackle-hug combo, that older brothers seem to favor. "I was worried about you, you alright?"

"Yeah I missed you too." Eragon said as he broke Roran's hold and put him in a headlock.

"Come on boys enough of that!" Gertrude called from the door to Horst's home. "We all have quite a bit to talk about."

* * *

As Eragon walked into Horst's house with Roran beside him he couldn't help but wonder what was going to happen to him now. What he wondered about more was his newfound sense that he could handle anything that happed to him.

"Here Eragon let me take your cloak," Elain held out a hand as she came up beside him from around the table where everyone had been sitting. Eragon paused, "They're going to see or find out one way or another," he thought.

"Thank you Elain." And Eragon handed her his cloak.

Silence filled the room. Wide eyed stares surrounded him.

"I don't think I'll ever get tired of looking at your face." Gertrude said to Eragon with a smile and a sigh. Eragon's cheekbones colored slightly pink. The entire room filled with laughter, all tension flown out the window.

"It is quite a look Eragon, I've not seen or heard of anything like this," Baldor said as the laughter died down. "And I don't think anyone else has either."

"_I_ doubt anyone has." Eragon replied. "Still not quite sure how to deal with it myself." He said quietly almost to himself.

"Well now that we have all basically agreed that we don't know what you are lets have lunch and we can discus this after." Horst declared and Elain nodded.

"I finished getting it on the table half an hour ago so sit down all of you." Elain had that firmly no nonsense air about her that had everyone hurrying to their seats.

* * *

Eragon almost didn't notice the care Garrow took in ensuring that they were seated next to each other, Garrow subtly directing Albriech to a spot beside Roran on the other side of the table in such a way that Albriech wouldn't notice until much later that night.

"How are you holding up Eragon?" Garrow asked quietly once everyone was tucked into their meals and there was enough chatter around the table that no one would notice.

"Alright, Uncle Garrow, it hasn't all quite sunk in really." Eragon answered quietly. "It all seams rather surreal."

"Well eat up, you'll probably need it."

And Eragon did though it took a moment. Eragon was surprised to find that his appetite had changed quite a bit, he usually was about as unpicky an eater as there was. Now he found that he only really felt inclined to eat a few carrots and a small piece of venison. 'Strange,' he thought to himself, 'that meal can't have been more than snack sized' but he didn't want anything more and he discarded the thought a moment later as unimportant.

* * *

A/N: Sorry that it's been so long I've had school work to do and an autobiography I'm helping my 93 year old Grandma wright, (I'm working as scribe for her). On the other hand I got a chrome book for Christmas so maybe I'll be able to update more often now that I actually have a computer with which to update. I hope you all had great holidays!

A thanks and shout out to Ddragon21 for reviewing and to those who Favorited and Alerted, it makes me so happy! :D

Review? *puppy eyes*


End file.
